Scaling Thin Disk Lasers to High Power and Energy

Abstract

The scaling laws of thin disk lasers will be explained. Results for continuous wave operation and for pulsed operation show the capability for building high power lasers with high efficiency and good beam quality, simultaneously. 150-word Biography: Adolf Giesen received his Ph.D. in 1982 at the University of Bonn, Germany. Then, he joined DLR (the German Aerospace Center), institute of Technical Physics at Stuttgart working on rf-excited CO2-lasers. In 1986 he moved to the University of Stuttgart, Institut für Strahlwerkzeuge as head of the laser development department. He continued working on CO2-lasers as well as on optical components for high power lasers. In 1992 he started working on thin disk lasers (in collaboration between the University and DLR). 2002 he received the “Berthold Leibinger Preis” for the invention and the work on thin disk lasers and in 2004 he received the “Rank Prize” also for the invention and his work on thin disk lasers. Since 2007 he is director of the Institute of Technical Physics of DLR. He is continuing the work on high power lasers for aerospace applications as well as for security and defence applications.